Under These Stars
by Rayza
Summary: After a family tragedy, Morli takes an unexpected turn in her life when she becomes involved with legends from the deep, and they hold a dark secret about who she really is. As many lives are lost, Morli digs for the truth that could be her ultimate doom.
1. Close Encounter

_Author's Note: _

_This Pokemon FanFiction takes place in an alternate universe, and I really mean that. This story breaks away a lot from the original canon. Many of the characters (particularly the Legendary Pokemon) will have different backgrounds and history than what is mentioned in the Pokemon games and shows, and the landscape will also be nothing like it actually is. Major issues that arise later in the story are based of well known events that have happened in history, so do not find me being prejudice or racist in any way. If you do not like what you have read so far or do not like alternate universes, I suggest you ignore this story._

Pokemon, another name for our animals in our world; creatures with special powers of the elements that people may use as pets or warriors. The most powerful of these creatures would be the beasts known as the Legendary Pokemon. They are the masters of their own elements with other excessive abilities only they have, one of which is a gift that they offer to trustworthy humans; immortality.

But to get it, is the price worth it? For me, it was too late to decide.

--

A loud sigh broke the dead silence on the Goldenrod Railroad train under the light of the moon. There weren't many people on the train at this time of night, so the only noise that disturbed the stars was the grinding wheels below the people as they moved the train only forward. Near the back of the train sat a young black-haired teen, and with modern day standards, could be considered depressed with her dark clothes and shadows of her sleepless eyes. She sighed again, contemplating the recent events in her life with a painted neutral expression.

_Parents..._

Two black pearls looked out through the invisible window beside her, polished by the water collecting right beneath them. Her throat throbbed, trying to make her choke so the liquid would spill. _Stop it, it's over...the funeral...everything. _She cupped her face in her hands, ashamed to show her emotions. A dark colored canine that sat beside her, a Mightyena, whined and nudged her snout between her fingers, licking her forehead and trying to comfort her. An unwanted tear forced its way down her face, but through her sadness she still managed to smile at her loyal pet and hugged it tightly, and the dog continued to lick her more rapidly.

The girl laughed and pulled away. "Alright, alright, stop that. I'm fine," she said, wiping the tear away from her cheeks. Barking once, the Mighteyena obeyed her orders and contentedly rested its head beside her feet. Grinding train wheels rang in the passengers' ears once again, joined by the melody of small laughter owned by a man with dark gray hair sitting across from the girl and her pet, who was softly chuckling at the scene they made with a warmed heart. He turned and looked out at the passing scenery, still wearing a bright smile that gradually faded. Squinting his eyes, he pressed his nose against the glass, the fog that normally clouded the glass absent as he held his breath.

His heart nearly stopped with a heavy _thump_, his eyes widening as they spotted a dark figure out of place in the distance of trees and hills.

The Mightyena's ears suddenly perked up and the canine immediately jumped to her feet, staring out the same window. She bared her teeth and began barking, causing the girl to tremble surprised. "What is it? What's wrong?" she asked as she stroked the pet's back, blushing and desperate to calm her down as people looked to their direction.

--

The train was crossing over a small lake surrounded by dark, eerie trees, and the once still water of the river below rippled and the tree branches suddenly shook violently as an alarming shriek pierced the sky. Racing through the leaves was a pitch black, sinister serpent quickly heading toward the train. Beside it chased a pale, cat-like animal, breaking a bead of sweat as he ran beside the serpent's head, who only focused its sight on the train.

"Stop!" he demanded, but the black figure never looked his way, as if it didn't even hear him. Grinding his teeth, the pale creature growled more sharply, "I said to sto..." Two wide, blazing ruby eyes glared at the pestering creature as the serpent turned its head and slithered ahead of him at amazing speed, whipping its tail and smashing the creature into a tree before continuing its way in front of the train. It latched on to the train, black claws suddenly ripping out of the serpent as it crawled into it like a ghost. The lights flickered and fled at the serpents presence, like it had just blown them out like a simple candle light. Each person gave their last ghastly breath, the only reaction they were able to give to the serpent, and their gasps echoed throughout the train, dying at the creature's touch as it made its way through all the passengers. Studying each lifeless corpse, the serpent tried to find a face it recognized, but with no success it continued to touch something new and alive throughout the train.

--

In the back of the train the young girl pressed her back firmly against her seat, her heart racing as she tried to see through the darkness, though it was useless. She could only make out the sounds that rang in her ears; her Mightyena barking wildly and the chilling exhalations of the people farther up the train. Suddenly the raspy gasps paused, and a pair of beady,bloodshot eyes made itself visible in the dark and stared at her. With her hair standing up straight,the Mightyena started growling instead of barking now, thinking that less harm may come to her that way, and the eyes came closer to them, glistening fiercely. A mad grin made of triangular pointed teeth appeared under the eyes, creeping slowly closer to them in a soundless slither. The girl's breath quickened as she watched the coming of what she believed her end, her once childish nightmares now coming true, and felt unfortunate that she couldn't summon the strength to scream.

The serpentine creature finally opened its mouth directly over her, as if to engulf her whole, and just as it thrusted its jaws forward, the Mightyena leapt protectively in front of the girl to attack the throat of the serpent, but at the serpent's deadly poisonous touch her muscles eased and her eyes rolled back into her head as she went right through the serpent, slumping to the ground, motionless. Hissing irritatedly, the serpent recoiled back, its body curling into circles into a spring. There was another sharp hiss, though it did not come from the serpent. Craning its neck, the creature came eye-to-eye with the gray haired man, who was still alive and standing boldly before it with his chest and shoulders squared and his chin raised high. His glazed eyes reflected the serpent's ruby gaze, and his skin began to fade into a shade of navy blue as silver protruded from his cheeks, his whole being becoming larger and disconfigured. The girl was thrown into a daze, unable to think or feel for her Mightyena and the man as her head spun in panic, causing her sight to sink in and out of focus. Was this a dream? What's happening? She couldn't understand.

A triumphant roar bit into her ears as a dark blue draconic creature came out of the man and ripped through the roof of the train effortlessly, tossing the metal upward and peeling it back as it barely hung on to the train as wind accelerated past the dragon, who's skin shone radiantly in the moonlight. But its night blue pelt could not distract one's eye from the beautiful glowing diamond embedded in the center of its chest. The serpent stretched it neck to the height of the dragon and hastily tried to crawl out and flee the area, knocking some of the sheet metal upon the girl as it climbed out into the racing wind, shaking all sense out of her that made her plummet into darkness.

The serpent twisted its body to get one last look at the dragon which it knew well before leaving; Dialga, the Legendary Creator of Time. Just as the serpent met Dialga's gaze, Dialga bit and sank his teeth into the creature, unaffected by the touch of death. Desperately screaming and squirming like a worm, the serpent could not struggle out of Dialga's grasp, who started to shake his head back and forth like a pup attacking his master's shoe. The train started to bounce, unbalanced by the wide motions and jumped off the tracks. Dialga and the serpent began to dive to the awaiting waters with the back of the train, only to be suddenly held up in midair with the train screeching to a halt with sparks flying past its iron stomach. Floating in the air, the pale cat creature returned with his arms raised toward the train and his veins visibly pulsing throughout his limbs, strained like he was pushing against something, but he touched nothing. With each movement of his hands the train followed, and when the wheels were placed nicely back on the railroad tracks, the cat gasped and relaxed. The black serpent took one big push against Dialga's face and struggled out of his grip as Dialga's jaw loosened from the distraction of the train, then floated weakly in the sky and vanished.

--

"I-I'm so sorry..."

The gray haired man, Dialga's human form, waved his hand in front of his face. "Enough already, it's not your fault. I am not mad at _you_." His hands curled into fists as he kicked a piece of metal and glared at everything that was broken before him.

In front of him stood the cat-Pokemon, the cloned Legend known as Mewtwo, who was just twidling with his three-fingered hands and constantly twitching his purple tail, relaxed his arms to his sides after confirming that he wasn't in trouble. He looked over the wreckage with a colorless expression. "So, what the hell _was_ that thing?"

Dialga shrugged; the question didn't matter to him now that it was gone. "Just search for survivors."

The damage was still unnoticed by other people, and the two Legendaries took this chance to investigate before the public came. Mewtwo walked through the line of corpses, his face seeming to grow sickeningly older with each new body he passed. "I don't think there's anyone left," he finally said once he reached the end of the train, his stomach twisted into a knot and his spine shivering. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, trying to erase the disturbing images of the people from his mind, but was suddenly awakened from his meditation as his foot touched the fur that belonged to a body of a Mightyena. He cringed and quickly pulled his foot back, but then his head snapped up at the soft sound of someone coughing weakly. "Wait a minute..." He immediately leaped over all the rubble and searched for the source of the noise with Dialga close behind.

"What is it?" Dialga asked, looking around for something that could have caught his interest. Mewtwo didn't say anything until he came across the raven-haired girl curled up and partially covered in the torn debris of metal. The girl lifted her cheek, staring at the sky hazily, then let her head fall back to the ground. Dialga soon came by Mewtwo's side and stared down at the girl, sighing, relieved someone was at least alive.

"The only survivor," he muttered.


	2. Meet the Legendaries

Black, nothing but black. Death was rather boring, if this was death; no Hell, no Heaven, just the elimination of the soul. It was a disappointment for the faithful Christian, Morli, who kept expecting to see their God. So far, nothing has happened.

Morli felt like she was in an empty dream, and she knew she was in a dream, yet she couldn't wake up. Shadows of a black monster haunted her mind, yet the visuals looked as authentic as a memory. Morli didn't believe that such a creature could exist except in her childhood nightmares, but the creature succeeded in frightening her. She was at least thankful she could think, but she felt like a pointless being without her other senses. Fear consumed her whole mind, and if she couldn't have her other senses, she would rather have the rest of her spirit taken away too instead of staying in this state.

The monster slithered all around her like a shark, increasing her apprehension. What would it do to her when it decides to strike? The tension made her entire being feel like she was burning, but it took a while before she noticed the sensation as the heat grew more intense. It wasn't like fire, but the sensation felt more like she was too overly warm, almost feverish. Fortunately, the heat allowed her to trace the figure of her body and what felt like soft fabric around her, but she could also feel the unpleasant soreness from what she believed to be her arm and leg.

"What...God, you're such asshole." A voice muttered, but it rang likfe a bell in the broken silence.

"What did you just call me?"

The voices were unfamiliar and unexpected, but Morli couldn't figure out how to open her eyes to see who the words belonged to. She was still consumed by a blanket of black that was now like an ocean, the monster now suddenly gone. From above she noticed a faint flicker of light. The light was falling farther and farther away, and Morli only stared at it, deciding whether she should put in some effort and swim towards it. It was so much easier to just keep sinking and to see what lied on the bottom, if there was a bottom.

Morli looked between the darkness and the light, but as she sank deeper, her thoughts began to lose their consistency and she couldn't remember what she was just thinking a moment ago. Her instincts screamed to swim, and to keep sane she did so. It was difficult to start going up at first- she felt like someone was pushing against her to keep her in the darkness, but the closer she got to the light, the faster she went and the more easier it became to reach the surface.

For a brief moment, a swirl of blurred colors filled her vision. She hadn't reached the top yet, and the sudden surprise made her ascent falter for a moment, though it didn't stop her.

"Uh...Hey, look! She's waking up...so...please, don't hit me."

"Oh...hm, good," the same voices from before said.

Her senses were growing stronger with each passing second; she could smell the clean air and feel it flow into her lungs, she could taste something putrid and dry in her mouth, but all that was left was her sight, and she put in all her energy to win it back

Finally, with one last jolt toward the surface, she broke away from the coat of darkness. Her eyes opened and her pupils immediately shrunk in the stinging brightness of reality. Through her mouth she inhaled as much air as she could, then let out several weak coughs. She rubbed her eyelids, ignoring the burn emanating from her arm.

"Are you finally awake, or are you go back to sleep again?" She turned her head and stared at the man sitting in a chair, his elbow resting atop a table with his cheek leaning against his fist. His face was partly covered by his messy purple and black hair, but he didn't strike as anyone familiar to Morli.

"Be polite." Next to him was a slightly older man with gray hair, which looked out of place to Morli as she overlooked his smooth skin. She expected his flesh to wrinkle and overlap around his eyes or across his wrists, yet his hide was very much like her own. She stared deeply into the center of his foggy eyes that matched the tone of his hair, and though he was looking directly at her, she wondered if he was blind.

She sat upright, realizing that she was in a bed, but not her own. She was still wearing the outfit she had worn to the funeral just a day before, and it devastated her to see that it had been tattered a bit with a few holes. Looking around the room, she wondered if she was in a hotel by observing how the bed, window, TV, and mirror were organized in the small space.

"Who are you?" she finally asked in a soft voice.

Both men frowned with their mouths open and looked at each other, hoping the other knew what to say. The gray-haired man sighed, then stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Um, are you alright?"

Morli frowned when he skipped answering her own question first. "I'm fine, a little sore," she answered, speaking at a more casual noise level, "Could you tell me where I am?"

"You don't remember the train accident, do you?" asked the other man.

Morli was about to snap at them for ignoring her inquiries until she processed the word "accident". She stared at them dumbfounded with an open mouth, remembering that she was on a train before, but she had no recollection of how her travel ended.

"Someone brought a bomb...several bombs on the train you rode," the man with gray hair explained.

"No, we decided it was one bomb, right?" The elder man who was explaining to Morli whipped his head towards his partner, who wore a wide grin, looking amused.

"No, I _saw_ the bombs myself, quit screwing around." This made Morli suspect that they could be terrorists, which made her heart leap. Her other suspicion, which she hoped was more true, was that these men were lying and are only playing a cruel trick on her. However, their story did make her worry that there truly _was_ a bomb on her train ride, so she kept quiet and bit her lip as she waited for them to continue.

The gray-haired man pulled on his neck collar, appearing to be as tense as Morli was as he studied her expression, while his partner looked relaxed with a slight smile on his face. He took a deep breath and sighed, glaring at his nonchalant partner before moving on. "The people who brought the bombs also released a poisonous gas before blowing the train up. A-as far as I--we know, we're the only survivors...we found you knocked out, so..."

Morli's did feel like her heart sunk to the bottom of the floor, but she held in her grief-stricken emotions, still skeptical about their explanation. "So...where am I now?" she asked, trying not to show any sort of expression.

"Goldenrod City," both men answered at the same time, who then looked at each other with raised eye brows.

"...Wait..." Morli could remember that her ride took her past Ecruteak City, which was at least ninety miles away from Goldenrod City. Why would they go through all the trouble bringing her here? And why wasn't she in a hospital if she was unconscious during the incident? "I'm sorry, but I don't fully believe your story." Morli immediately reached into her right pocket and pulled out her cellphone, dialing 911 as fast as she could.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The gray haired man stepped closer to her, staring at the screen of her phone looking confused. Thankful that he hadn't snatched it away from her, Morli leaped off the bed, feeling a little dizzy on her feet, and ran to the window. The other man sighed and dragged his feet to the door that lead into the room.

"Wait, are you calling the cops?! Hang on, we don't mean any harm! Honestly!" The gray haired man pulled on her arm, but he seemed to be gentle about it. Morli easily pulled away from him and ran to the other side of the room. She was surprised that he hadn't even tried taking away her phone, but that just made her task easier.

"God, you're so slow," the other man said, coming back with a bundle of paper in his hand, "who do you think she was calling?" He blew upward on a strand of hair covering his eyes, then rubbed his eyelids.

"_Hello, this is 911. Is there an emergency?" _buzzed a feminine voice in Morli's ear.

"It doesn't surprise me though, since you are one of the most technologically-impaired beings I've ever met," continued on the younger man as he came up to Morli and held up a newspaper article up to her face. "Hey, before you answer that, maybe you should read this."

Morli stared at the paper with her mouth slightly open and her eyes narrowed. As she read the main article, her eyes softened and she closed her cellphone, taking the newspaper into her hands.

**TRAIN WRECK OCCURS NEAR OUTSKIRTS OF ECRUTEAK CITY**

**NO SURVIVORS FOUND**

Morli's hands began to shake as her eyes darted to the picture of torn metal that must have been from the train, or what was _left_ of the train. She searched for the date the paper was published, which troubled her when it proved that it was the day after she left to live with her uncle. Morli rubbed her eyes, trying to cover up the thin streams of tears overflowing her eyes, but to no avail. She cursed herself, feeling that she's been too much of a crybaby lately. "B-but, wait..." her voice choked as she pointed at the bold letters, "I-it says no s-s-survivors. Th-then...what am _I_? _Dead?!_" Morli broke down into sobbing, watching the wet dots that began painting the newspaper in her hands.

"No, you're not dead." The gray haired man placed a hand on her shoulder, which she promptly pulled away from, startled. For a moment, they all just stood in silence.

"What do you plan to do now, jerk?" the younger man asked. His partner looked at him with solemn eyes, but did not answer.

"Please...leave me alone..." Morli whispered, covering her face with her hair. She watched their feet, which did not move for a few moments. The younger man nudged his head towards the door, and soon afterwards, they left. Morli waited until she heard the sound of the door being shut before she raised her head and pulled herself to the bed. She wrapped her arms around her legs, trying to stop the flow of her tears. _Stop, just please stop..._

_Stop, _an unexpected voice repeated in her head. It didn't sound like the voice she used while thinking, and she didn't command herself to think the word over again. She assumed she did, but by accident, then completely ignored and forgot about it.

Morli didn't know what to do now. She considered calling 911 again, but she didn't won't to speak in the condition she was in now. How did this all happen? Does her family know she's alright?

Remembering her family reminded her of her dog, who was on the train with her. She looked around the room, not expecting to see the Mightyena, but was hoping to. She assumed that her dog must be dead if she and the other men were the only survivors. Morli cringed at the thought of her pet being ground into crushed pieces of metal. _Poor thing_, she thought, dearly missing the ball of fur. How was she going to explain all that has happened to her new guardians?

Through the wall, she could her in the next room a door being slammed shut and the same voices of the two men that were with her before.

"We should have just _left_ her there. We didn't need to get ourselves involved, the people could have handled it themselves if she was alive!"

"I know, I know, but you remember that monster, that..._thing_. I didn't kill it, and I was afraid if we just left her there, it would come back to kill her too..."

"What do you mean you _didn't kill it_?"

Morli pressed her ear against the wall, not completely sure about what they were talking about. One thing she was quite sure about now was that the whole bomb and poisonous gas story was a _lie_, and they were trying to cover it up. However, she couldn't think of a reason for _why_ they are doing that.

A shrill cry from outside pierced her ears. It sounded almost like the screeching rubber wheels of a car coming to an abrupt stop or the terror of a young child's cry. She pinned her back against the wall, her eyes fixed on the only window in the room. It was pitch black outside, except for the dim lights of the city buildings. She was quite sure the screech came from out there, but nothing looked out of place. She suspected that there was an explosion in the city, but after some consideration, the sound couldn't have come from any sort of weapon she knew of. Her hands squeezed in tight fists, still feeling a little shaken. The scream sounded too horrifyingly familiar.

"JESUS! What was that?! Was that it? The monster?! But you did killed it! I saw you kill it! It vanished! Poof! Disappeared!"

"No, I didn't, Mewtwo."

Morli pressed her head harder against the wall. Did she just hear one of them call the other "Mewtwo"? Wasn't that a Pokemon? Morli guessed that it was some kind of nickname they must have made up. It was common for people to have nicknames after Pokemon, especially in gangs. She didn't think they were in a gang though, they don't look or act like the type.

"But!...ARGH, that's so...stupid!" There was a sigh. "So what now? Should we go chase it or something? Something like that shouldn't be...hey. HEY. Are you even listening?"

"I just had a vision."

"Oh, goodie." There was a sarcastic tone to the voice. "I hope you're not high."

Morli began to consider that maybe they were part of a gang, and she too hoped that neither of them were on drugs.

"The thing...it was after that girl."

"It was kinda after everyone it seemed."

"No, it was after her..."

_Now their imaginary monster_ _is after me_, she thought, then frowned as she gave more thought into it, _but...is it my imaginary monster too?_ She remembered pictures of something black and serpentine, but she thought that creature was from the broken dreams she had while unconscious. Was that the monster they were talking about? Were the images a memory from reality, or was it from her own mind? It wasn't like any Pokemon she had ever seen before.

Morli picked up the newspaper that she had laid on the bed and began reading it.

**TRAIN WRECK OCCURS NEAR OUTSKIRTS OF ECRUTEAK CITY**

**NO SURVIVORS FOUND**

_On the bridge over the Dart River rests the ruins of one of the Goldenrod Railroad trains as it was heading north Thursday night. The wreckage was discovered early in the morning on Friday by the next train that was scheduled to take the same route that day. When security officials arrived, it was proven that no one had survived the incident that had occurred. "I just can't explain it," said Officer Jennifer Hudson, "it looks like there was an explosion, but the passengers seemed to have died of another cause."_

_The very back of the train appears to have been damaged by an explosion, but further examination showed no signs that a bomb went off. "If the cause was a bomb," said one of the scientists that volunteered to investigate, "then parts of the metal or the train seats should be burned, or at least scorched. However, this isn't so. It appears to me that something tore into ceiling judging by these marks." Pieces of the train metal that make the top of the train show something similar to claw marks, but many are skeptical. "If these were made by a Pokemon, then it should have left its mark in other places. Something with claws this big couldn't get away so easily without leaving something else behind." The claw marks on the metal are about the width of an average human hand, and the longest scratch found is over six feet. Researchers say that the only Pokemon that could cause this damage are the "Legendary Pokemon", the ones that have been claimed to be seen only by the famous Professor Oak, who says he has genuine pictures of each of these creatures. Only a few of these Legendary Pokemon have been found and captured by other scientists, which are considered to be the only Legendary Pokemon to exist so far, but none of these could have possibly caused the train wreck. Only the back of the train was damaged, the rest remains untouched._

_The passengers were not killed by any explosion or by a monstrous Pokemon, or so it seems. "All the passengers look unharmed, like they just suddenly dropped dead in their seats," Officer Hudson speculated. Bombs were found in a particular group of passengers, but the explosives did not go off. Investigators suspect that perhaps the passengers were killed by toxic gas, but the bodies are still being tested for any harmful chemicals._

Morli stopped reading there and folded the newspaper before tossing it away. She wondered if she was accounted for being missing or deceased yet, or if anyone even noticed her disappearance at all. Perhaps the investigators and her family already knew she was with the two strange men, but that was unlikely since she did not recognize them. _Legendary Pokemon_, she thought, recalling how the article mentioned the Legendaries and how one of the men called the other "Mewtwo". Mewtwo was one of the few that was known to exist for sure. Morli rubbed her eyes and shook her head. No, he couldn't be a Pokemon – she clearly saw that he looked like a person. It was silly to think that.

Morli pressed her ear against the wall again, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Geez, when is that bloody vision going to end? You look like you're been having a seizure." There were several other mumbles she couldn't make out, but something seemed awkward about the way he spoke. It took a while before Morli noticed it, but she realized that his accent was gone. He wasn't British at all like he sounded like before, in fact, he sounded more like one of those Americans.

Morli began to seethe with anger and frustration. Though she did feel guilty for wishing such a thing upon someone, she did hope that one of them was having a seizure. What has she done to make them want to deceive her? And the newspaper, was that just a hoax too? She began to feel stupid that she was still here, playing their game when she could have easily walked away when they left her alone a while ago. Morli stomped out of the room, tempted to slam the door as hard as she could to make her frustration clear, but stopped herself in time after realizing that that would make the two men notice her.

Morli was completely sure she was in a hotel when she walked into the corridor and looked at the doors that were lined up and numbered. She spotted an elevator and and exit door down the right end of the hall, but after taking a few steps towards them, she looked at the door next to her room and saw that it wasn't completely closed. Thinking about the man with gray hair made her worry about whether he was really having a seizure, even if he did try to fool her. She wasn't sure if it was him or the other man, but the gray haired man seemed more likely to have a seizure. She hesitated opening the door just to take a little peek to see if he was okay, but feared that they might see her spying on them. Pushing the door several inches, she planned to take only a quick look and then run out of the building to could call the police again. The door was halfway open before she caught a glimpse of the gray haired man. It didn't look like he was actually having a seizure, but he stared at the ceiling with his fingers trembling violently by his sides. Morli didn't pay much attention to him though; most of her attention was focused on the pale creature that stood in front of the man with its back facing her, twitching its bulky purple tail back and forth. With wide eyes, Morli took several steps into the room, her lower jaw slightly hanging. She lost grip of the door and it closed shut behind her, making the creature turn around at the sound.

"Dear God," she muttered, "I was _right_."

The cat-like features, the pule and purple skin – Morli knew that this was Mewtwo himself. The Pokemon looked just as surprised as she was with the same expression.

"...Oops." The Pokemon was engulfed in a bright, yellow light for a brief second, and when the light disappeared, before Morli was the gray haired man's original partner. Morli blinked several times, expecting him to change back, but the figure of Mewtwo never reappeared.

"WOAH! How...but, ah...er, uh..."

"Neh? What? Huh? Uh? But?" the man mimicked, "C'mon, get your thoughts together before you speak."

Morli pointed at him, blurting out all her disjointed thoughts. "You!...just, there! Pokemon!"

The man cocked his head to one side. "Pokemon?"

"YES!"

"_Where?!_"

"No, you!"

"_Me?_"

"Yes!"

The man laughed. "Kid, I think you're seeing things. Do I look like a Pokemon to you?"

Morli drove her hands through her hair, shaking her head. "No! I saw! I really saw! _You. Were. A. Pokemon!_ And stop acting like you're British! I know that accent is fake!"

Frowning, the man crossed his arms and eyed Morli suspiciously. "Eavesdropping, huh?" he said with his accent fading. "You should be more respectful, and you didn't _knock_ when you came in here either." He shook his head. "Tsk, tsk."

Morli ground her teeth together, feeling half-foolish, but half-confident that she was sure of what she saw. A Pokemon turning into a human – was it really plausible? Knowing how Pokemon animals were like, anything could be possible with them. Throughout scientific history, they always threw unexpected surprises; it would make Morli wonder why they would just stop now.

As Morli opened her mouth to further argue, she noticed that the man supposedly having something related to a seizure was still there, and it seemed like whatever was happening to him now ended. He wobbled around a bit, grasping the top of his head, saying with a hint of French in his accent, "Oh...damn, that was long."

The man who Morli accused for being a Legendary Pokemon turned around, his arms jerking forward to catch his partner in case he fell. "Woah, careful."

Morli kept silent until the gray haired man casted her an unfocused look. They held each other's gaze until he obtained his balance and said, "Morli...Taylor, right?"

Morli raised an eyebrow, shocked that he knew her name. "Do I...know you?"

"You're about to." He took a step forward and held out a hand. "My name's Dialga, 'tis nice to finally meet the daughter of Jiang." Morli slowly and reluctantly shook his hand, wondering if this man was truly insane and happened by chance to guess her mother's name.

The other man, assumed to be Mewtwo, gave "Dialga" a stupefied look. "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

Morli was just thinking the same thing. "Ummm..." was all she could say, feeling awkward about the situation.

"Oh, and this here is Mewtwo, if you two haven't made each other acquaintances yet," Dialga continued, gesturing towards the man beside him.

"And as you can see, due to his frequent 'seizures', my 'friend' here suffers from severe _brain damage_," Mewtwo snapped, stressing the last two words as he looked at Dialga.

Morli closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "So let me get this straight; _you're_ claiming that you're both Pokemon, is that right?"

"Why, yes, of course."

Morli turned on her heels and began walking away, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "Woah, hey! Hang on, there!" Dialga pulled her back by the should and spun her back around. "Heh, look, I know you think I'm crazy, but...Mewtwo! You're small enough to fit in this building, please change for us."

"No, she already thinks _I'm_ a Pokemon." Mewtwo squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he was frustrated or contemplating deeply. "You know, after all your bullshit about 'keeping our identity a secret', you just now blew our cover..._on purpose_. I'm starting to think that that wasn't a vision you saw, you really are high, aren't you?"

Morli lightly picked Dialga's hand off her shoulder and said, "Look, I have no idea who you guys are or what you want. I just want to go to my new home and continue living my life, is that a problem? Please, just...let me go home." She looked at Dialga with pleading eyes – she really wasn't in the mood or condition to be messed with like this, especially after all she endured. She has more than enough problems to deal with, she didn't want to add any more.

Dialga bit his lip, taking a moment to think as he looked down on Morli with soft eyes. He snapped his fingers, glancing towards Mewtwo. "This is the last time I'll ask you. Change. Now."

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes and held his expression, doing nothing at first. Then the blinding yellow light shrouded him and then vanished in a blink of an eye, revealing the true Mewtwo. "There."

Morli didn't react. She maintained the same neutral expression for a long while, deciding on what to say. Her suspicions about him were correct, and she felt she had no reason not to believe that she was standing riby the true Legendary Dialga. As unusual and rare this discovery was, she had only one thing on her mind. "You destroyed the train," she said softly, yet sorrowfully, recalling what the newspaper said.

"Actually, you can blame the asshole standing right next to you for that." Mewtwo reverted back to his human form, crossing his arms. "I _saved _you from falling to your death."

Morli shot Dialga an accusing look, her eyes asked the question _"Why?" _for her.

Dialga cringed at her glare, waving his hands and quickly explaining, "I was trying to fend off the monster attacking the train, and being the size I am, it's hard for things not to get broken...but I was not the one who killed everyone – the monster did." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, trying to smile. "Heh, this all must be a complete shock to you, maybe even a little stressful...I knew your mother, you know. I had to be told by a vision that you were her daughter, but I can now see the resemblance between you two."

The mentioning of her mother made Morli even more cheerless. "She's dead."

Dialga closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Yes, I'm fully aware of that. The days must be getting harder for you." He gently pushed on Morli's upper back to move her towards the door. "We brought you here because we wanted to keep you safe from whatever attacked your train ride. I ask that you try to stay close to us for the night, and we'll try our best to help you out." He opened the door and handed her a card key to her room. "Get some sleep for now." And with that he closed the door, finally leaving her own her own again. Morli shook her head, feeling a bit dazed. Could she trust them? And did her mother really know a Legendary Pokemon, but never told her family about it?

Morli trudged back into her room, thinking that perhaps he knew her mother, but her mother never knew about him. That would make more sense, since Morli thought it was unlike her mother to keep such a big secret from her and possibly the rest of her family. She rubbed her eyelids, knowing that if she didn't feel so dried up right now she would be crying again. She missed both of her parents, along with her Mightyena. It pained her to think about any of them.

And then meeting _Legendary_ Pokemon. If they could turn into people, it's no wonder why they were rarely noticed or seen by other people. Morli turned to the wall and started hitting her head against it. Maybe by some lucky chance this was all a dream. If only she could wake up...but where would that leave her? Perhaps her parents never actually died, and the Legendary Pokemon were only part of her imagination. She wished very hard that this was so.

After banging her head against the wall for several minutes, the only thing that changed was the now worsening headache she had. She stumbled to her bed and collapsed on his, her sight completely out of focus. _What to do, What to do..._

Waiting until morning so that her mind could clear up felt like a good idea. She trusted that the fellows next door wouldn't harm her – she had the key, anyways. All she needed was time to get her thoguhts straight. She drifted off into a dreamless sleep, peacefully unconscious.

___

"Hmmm, I remember when you used to damn us all to to the Devil whenever we got too close to a human. What did you see in that vision that made you change so drastically?" Mewtwo rolled his head to Dialga's direction, his ear barely touching his shoulder as he stared at the unpredictable gray eyes.

"It was a vague fortune, but it told me who that girl was...and why that monster was after her." Fog clouded the window glass as Dialga leaned against it, looking out into the stars that couldn't outshine the city lights, but few were barely able to.

"You're pretty vague yourself, too." Mewtwo followed Dialga's gaze, but saw nothing of interest. "That monster is here in this city...what would it want with a whiny little teenager?"

Dialga only sighed, but did not answer his question. "It's too bad, you can't really see the comet that was suppose to appear tonight."

"Uh, no, that's not the answer. Try again." Mewtwo tapped his fingers on the window sill, knowing he was trying to change the subject. Dialga continued looking outside, acting as if he didn't hear Mewtwo. "Oh, so we're going to make this very _mysterious _now, aren't we? Is it top secret? Are you tryin' to act all cool and everything knowing what other people don't to make the situation _special_? Eh? Is that it?"

Dialga glared at Mewtwo at the corner of his eyes with a stern expression. "Did you know that in some cultures, a comet is a sign of war? Misfortune? _Death_?"

"_Whhhhaaaaaat?_" Mewtwo said in a low voice, pretending to look dumb with a wide mouth and half-open eyes.

"Someday, someone is going to lose patience with you and just beat the hell outta ya."

"Good thing you'll never do that," Mewtwo laughed, "it's one of the reasons why I'm not afraid to screw around with you."

"Well, I want you to start behaving. You're going to be watching over Morli to make sure she's safe, whether you like it or not," Dialga stated flatly.

"Are you telling me that I have to follow around some Asian-Brit brat I don't know? Are you trying to make me look like a stalker or something?" Mewtwo kicked one of his legs back and forth, confident that Dialga wouldn't make him follow his demands if he whined hard enough.

"I'm going to go after that monster and finish it off. In the mean time, you should take care of her. She's the child of a good friend of mine, as you may know. You usually don't have anything important to do, and I'm sure this task isn't going to hurt you in any way."

"If she's so close to you, why don't _I _go after the monster and _you _take care of her?" Going after some unknown creature sounded like a lot more fun than babysitting some teenager, no matter how threatening or powerful it may be. "Anyways, you still haven't answered _why_ Borli or whatever her name is is so important, besides the fact that she's related to a close friend of yours."

"I'm not telling you that yet for a good reason. You'll learn later, I promise you, but this is a big favor...no, command, that I'm asking you to do. Think about it, if you do a good job, maybe you can get a better reputation with the other Legendaries."

Mewtwo's arm tensed as his knuckles turned more white than they already were, his fingers clenched around the window sill. "Pfft, yeah right. Should've never joined this stupid Legendary crap..." Mewtwo rambled on quietly to himself. Dialga shook his head and patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright, maybe you need some rest too. We'll discuss this in the morning."


	3. Unwanted Presence

_Sigh..._

Morli pulled the blankets covering her over her head to shield her eyes from the morning light filtering through the window. She cuddled her legs and arms closer together, quite comfortably warm and relaxed despite the dull soreness emitting from one of her arms and legs. She sighed contentedly with a tiny smile, wondering what Mother was cooking for breakfast. Remembering her parent made her heart give a heavy, sorrowful _thud_, but for the moment, Morli couldn't understand why.

Her train of thought was suddenly disturbed by the soft sound of someone breathing next to her. It was unlike the familiar panting of her pet Mightyena, so she slowly pulled the covers away from her face to see a recognizable man standing next to her bed. He was slouching, his gray hair uncombed and covering his face as he stared at the ground, rubbing his eyelids. Morli gasped, the memories of the previous night's events coming back to her. The man lifted his head, revealing dark circles underneath his eyes, and he weakly smiled. "Oh, you're already awake."

Morli screamed.

"D-Did I do something wrong?!" Dialga cried with wide eyes filled with shock and guilt.

Loud thuds came from the wall next to them as someone shouted, "SHUT UP, SHUT UP! I'm trying to get some damn sleep here!"

"What the hell are you doing in my room? How long have you been here?!" Morli demanded.

"I wasn't here very long, I just got here! I-I just came to wake you-"

"GET OUT!"

"Alright!" Dialga quickly leaped to his feet and ran out the door without another look at Morli. Morli grabbed a pillow and shoved it in her face, screaming into it in frustration rather than terror. Legendary Pokemon! Morli still couldn't believe it, but why couldn't they leave her alone?

In the room next door, she could hear the same voice from before yell, "What are you doing in _my _room?!"

"I paid for this room! This is _my _room!"

Morli rubbed her head as she listened to the two Legendaries bicker. There was no way for her to be able to go back to sleep with all the racket. She slipped out of bed sluggishly and looked at her nightstand, noticing the card key that Dialga had given her. _How did he get in here? _she thought. Planning to ask Dialga what he wanted, she peeked out of her room to see a human Mewtwo outside of his room, arguing with one of their neighbors that they had apparently woken. Morli waited until the fight settled before she dared approach Mewtwo, who looked rather frightening with the vicious, bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

"Screw you, asshole!" screamed the stranger before slamming his door shut. Mewtwo ground his teeth together as he looked into Morli's direction. Too scared to approach him, Morli almost decided to just close her door and forget about talking to the Legendaries until Mewtwo closed his eyes and sighed.

"Dialga wants to talk to you, well, to both of us actually..." he said, looking a bit more calm but still appearing to be frustrated. He held the door open for her, and she nearly sprinted past him into his room, afraid he might attack her. She stopped in the middle of the room to see Dialga lying in bed, who quickly sat upright with a surprised look on his face when he noticed her. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he commented, then held a disappointed look as Mewtwo came to stand by her with crossed arms. "Don't worry, his bark is worse than his bite."

"You started this mess, now tell us what you want already," Mewtwo demanded.

"Morli, I know things have been pretty rough with you, but I ask you to please be patient with us. Your life is in danger because of that monster that still roams about. I've been tracking and chasing it all night, and though I didn't get rid of it, I managed to chase it far away from here." Morli stared into his weary eyes, understanding why he looked so exhausted. "I will try to get other Legendaries in the area to help me, but until this monstrosity is disposed of, I need you to stick around with Mewtwo here so he can protect you and make sure you are safe."

Morli slowly looked up at Mewtwo and gulped as he threw her an irritated look. She took a step away from him and turned back to Dialga. "I appreciate your concern, but I really need to get to my uncle's house soon. He's probably really worried if he heard about the train crash..."

"If he did, he probably thinks you're dead, kid," Mewtwo interrupted.

Dialga ignored Mewtwo's comment. "I still want a Legendary to be around you just in case. You will get to your uncle, I'll promise that, but for the moment, you need to stay hidden and away from public areas until this problem is resolved."

Morli narrowed her eyes. "I never asked for your help, nor do I want it. Why is my life so important? Everyone is in danger if that creature is moving about freely!"

"And why do _I _have to watch over her?" Mewtwo interjected, "Can't you get another Legendary to do the job? One that is better at handling kids?"

Dialga put his hand over his face and sighed. "I don't have a lot of time-"

"But of course you do, you control time..."

"Would you quit with the smart ass remarks?! I need you both to agree with me quickly so I can get moving, and I can't take no for a answer. Morli, that monster is specifically after _you_. If you understood the reason, you would know the kind of importance you hold. I will tell you why later, but at the moment you endanger anyone you are around, so just _please_ bear with me and stay with Mewtwo."

Morli stared at the ground, remaining silent for a long moment. "So you're kidnapping me..."

"Technically, yes, we are," Mewtwo said.

Morli frowned, feeling she didn't need to say anything; she wasn't given much of a choice anyways.

Dialga stood up, then snapped his fingers with a lightened expression as if he just remembered something. "By the way, stay away from mirrors."

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. "Mirrors?" But before he could finish speaking, Dialga suddenly vanished. Morli blinked several times with wide eyes and looked around the room for him.

"Relax, he usually does that. He stops time to move around," Mewtwo told her, "But I think he's high or something...He hasn't been acting like himself."

Morli stared at him with a worried and downcast look, and for a moment she thought she saw a glimmer of pity in his eyes. "Look, I know you don't want to be around me, and I certainly don't want to stick around you, but let's just do what Dialga says and hope this problem goes away quickly, 'k?" Morli stayed silent and stared at her feet, almost looking like she was going to cry. Mewtwo bit his lip. "You should know Dialga doesn't want you being with your family so that monster doesn't end up killing them if it finds you. Look, I know I place where you can be safe. Why don't we grab something to eat first and..." Mewtwo stopped as he watched Morli walk away and out the room with her head down.

He rubbed the back of his head, saying to himself, "God, am I really that scary?"

Morli escaped back into her room, leaning against the wall and slowly sliding down it. _Can't I control my own life? _she thought. It seemed like her world was suddenly turning for the worst, and all she could do was live in it without a say in what happens. She stared out the window, clenching her hands. She wasn't going to let those Legendaries tell her what to do, not if she could help it.

She went to open her window and looked down. She was only on the second floor, and right below her were several bushes; leaving out the window didn't seem like a long way down. For a long while she continued to look outside, deciding if she should just jump or try to find a way to make her escape easier and possibly less painful. She didn't want to just walk out into the hall and use the stairs or elevator; she suspected Mewtwo was probably waiting just outside her door. Morli scanned her room, thinking there was nothing useful around to help her reach the bottom. She considered making a rope with the bedsheets, but felt that she would need more sheets than what she had. There was no other choice but to jump, but before she did, she went to turn on the television on full volume in hopes that it would make Mewtwo think she was in the room watching it.

She cringed as she looked back down on the ground, crouching on the window sill as she tried to prepare herself to jump. Hoping the bushes below had no thorns and could cushion her fall, she closed her eyes and leaped.

"_**Recently there have been reports of a strange, black Pokemon wandering around the country. Judging from what witnesses say about its size, Pokemon experts say that this could be the mysterious attacker of the train wreck two days ago. One man has claimed to have caught the creature in broad daylight on his cellphone while walking to work in Mahogany Town."**_

A blurry video showed a dark, worm-like figure way up high in the bright blue sky on the television screen. Mewtwo grumbled irritatedly as he watched, wishing the video was better quality. He stood close to the T.V., his nose nearly touching the screen as he raised an eyebrow at the jumble of fiery colored pixels that followed the black creature. "Is that...Moltres?"

The video quickly ended as soon as he noticed the Legendary Pokemon, and the news reporter quickly reappeared. "Aw, dammit, show it again!" he cursed as the reported moved on to a different topic, so he angrily turned it off and looked at the time. It was nearly noon. He sighed, thinking that he shouldn't waste Dialga's efforts in chasing the creature away and take the chance to take Morli into a more secure area. He thought she had enough time by herself to think about things.

Mewtwo grabbed his card key and two others that Dialga had left in his room, then he stood in front of Morli's door and lightly knocked on it. "Hey, are you alright?" he yelled after several seconds of no response. He could hear the television blaring inside, so he tried knocking even harder in case she didn't hear him the first time. "Turn that bloody thing off! We need to get moving!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card key, hoping that maybe it could unlock the door. A small, satisfied smile appeared on his face when the key worked, and he swiftly swung the door open, making it crash against the wall to make his entrance apparent.

"Why don't you turn that thing down so you can..." As Mewtwo walked into the room, he saw that Morli was no where in sight. He turned off the T.V. and checked the bathroom and the closet, but she wasn't there either. "Dammit!" _I should have kept an eye on that sneaky brat!_

In a flash, he changed into a Pokemon and ran into the hall, sniffing the air; his abilities were more enhanced as a Pokemon. No trance of Morli's scent went more than a few steps away from her room except to go into his room, so she couldn't have gone downstairs through the lobby. He immediately changed back into a human before someone came and saw him, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the open window in her room. As he approached it, he saw traces of smeared dirt in the shape of a shoe print heading outside. "Aha," he muttered as he looked out and down the window, "You're much braver than I thought..."

Mewtwo then jumped out the window himself, planning to use his psychic abilities to slow the fall, but he forgot he was in his human form. It was still possible to use his powers as a human, but it required more effort and focus, and Mewtwo ended up belly flopping into the bushes due to being unused to his current form. "Ow!" he shouted as the tiny, prickly branches poked his his soft skin. He managed to stumble out of the tangle of leaves and branches and onto concrete, laying on his back as he cringed.

"Uh, sir, are you alright?" A passerby peered over him with a worried look. "That wasn't a smart thing to do, you could have just used the stairs or..."

"Shut up," he snapped, quickly jumping to his feet, even though his now sore body protested against it. He tried not to express any sort of pain on his face as he brushed the leaves off his clothes, leaving behind a rather confused businessman as he ran off. Even though a human's sense of smell wasn't so great, he wasn't desensitized enough to not be able to pick up Morli's scent.

_You can't get away from me..._

Morli limped as she did her best to get her legs moving as fast as she can. She was a good few blocks away from the hotel, and she was sure Mewtwo wouldn't be able to find her now in the crowds she pushed and shoved against. Her knees tingled and were still shaky after her jump out the window, but she struggled not to stop or fall as she pulled out her cellphone and dialed the only person she could rely on.

"Chen?"

"Hey sis, how are you?" answered a young adult male on the other end of the line. "What's up? You sound like you just ran a marathon. Is everything alright?"

Morli was incredibly grateful to finally hear a familiar voice she could trust. She continued to run as she talked, and she couldn't help but pant. "Sorry, I'm just doing to bit of jogging. What are you doing?"

"Jogging? Since when did you jog? Anyways, I'm just talking a walk 'round town. Why?"

"Can you meet me at the bus station near the Pokemon Center? There's been a change in plans...I'll explain later."

"Uh, okay, sure." And with that he hung up. A genuine smile grew across her face for once. Her brother, Chen, would have to take her home now, and even if Mewtwo did happen to find her, Chen would be there to stand up for her. Being in a public area also helped, for Morli assumed that Mewtwo wouldn't give away his identity or an explanation for what was going on with so many people around. She already felt like victory was hers.

Chen wasn't at the bus station yet by the time she arrived. She took a seat to rest her legs as she waited for several minutes. Once the tingling sensation in her knees faded, she began pacing around, feeling like she had been waiting forever even though it hadn't been more than ten minutes. No matter how many times she tried to convinced herself that she successfully escaped, she couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that Mewtwo was on her tail and will get her first if Chen didn't come fast enough. She looked up and down the street to see if he was even in sight yet, then suddenly jumped when someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around. She was expecting the person to be her playful brother trying to scare her, but then gasped with a mortified look when she saw who it really was.

"Don't _ever_ do that again," growled a very frustrated human Mewtwo, "Do you understand the danger you're in? Dia will kill me if you get hurt!"

"Let go of me!" Morli screamed, trying to jerk away from him, but he kept a strong hold. "Help! Someone help!"

The fire in Mewtwo's eyes faded as a worried look painted his face. "Shut up! You're making me look like I'm kidnapping you!" he hissed when several people stared at them both bewildered and shocked.

"You _are _kidnapping me! Let go!" Morli then bit his hand, finally making him release her with a brief shout of pain.

"ARGH, dammit! What the hell?!" Morli wiped her mouth against her sleeve, trying to get the taste of bare skin out of her mouth as Mewtwo cradled his hand, but he didn't wince long enough for her to get away again as he pulled on her hand. Morli tried to continue running, but to no avail as Mewtwo kept a firm grip and stance. "What is _wrong _with you!? You're acting like you're going to a slaughterhouse!"

"Hey! Let go of her!" Morli's hand was suddenly free as Mewtwo swiftly moved to the side as a fist from behind barely grazed his cheek. She almost felt like crying tears of joy when she turned around to see her brother, face-to-face with Mewtwo. "What's the big idea? You better not have hurt my sister!"

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow at the rather tall boy who looked like a mere senior in high school, and he almost laughed at how he danced around with his fists up and ready to strike. "What do _you _want?"

"That's what I should be asking you," Chen replied, still crouched over, hoping back and forth with his fists raised, "Who are you and why are you trying to hurt my sister?"

Mewtwo kept a relaxed posture to show that he wasn't asking for a fight, but in his mind he was confident that he could easily beat the hell out of the kid if he wanted to. "I wasn't trying to hurt her, 'k?"

"Then answer my other question! Who are you?"

Morli smirked, eager to hear how Mewtwo would answer that one. _The best thing you can do is just run and forget about me_, she thought, folding her arms as she waited for him to say something.

There was a short pause a Mewtwo quickly tried to come up with a believable excuse. "Uh, I'm a relative...?" He bit his lip, thinking that was the wrong thing to say.

Chen's hands then dropped to his sides. "Oh, are you Morli's uncle? Uncle Ray?" Mewtwo eyes widened, not expecting his coverup to work, but calmly nodded in response.

Morli's jaw dropped in disbelief. _NO! _she wanted to scream, _How could this happen?!?_ She just stood there with a blank expression, too astounded to actually say anything. Her uncle, Ray, was suppose to be her new guardian, and Chen had never met him before due to not actually being related to him; he was her half-brother. Though Mewtwo looked nothing like her actual uncle, he did look like he could be related due to being nearly as tall as her brother and having the same black hair as both her and Chen. Morli couldn't believe such a coincidence could happen.

"But wasn't Morli suppose to take a ride up to Blackthorn City? Why did you come here?" Chen asked.

"Oh, the train she was suppose to take couldn't make it due to the accident with that mystery Pokemon, so I came here to make sure she was alright."

"You're quick on your feet," Morli grumbled, wishing he could at least stammer or pause instead of speaking so casually. Mewtwo, hearing her comment, looked over his shoulder and grinned at her.

"Oh, was that what you wanted to tell me, Morli? Gee, I'm glad you weren't in that train wreck. It's nice to see you one last time, though." He sighed and smiled timidly at Mewtwo, "Sorry for getting so defensive, it's been pretty rough for us since our parents died...Anyways, what do you guys plan on doing now? Are you just going to drive to Blackthorn now? That's a pretty long way..."

Before Mewtwo could say anything, Morli finally pulled herself together and answered for him, "We were going to do that, but hey, we got time. Maybe we can do something together..." Morli wasn't going to let Mewtwo win just yet, though she couldn't believe that Chen was being so gullible. If she could at least get some time alone with him, then she could try to tell him what was going on...if he would believe her. She didn't know how to rationalize her story for him at the moment.

"Well, if that's the case, I got some extra tickets for this Pokemon Tournament that's being held today, but my friends couldn't come. I was just heading over there before you called, so if you want to come..."

"We'd love to come!"

Mewtwo tried not to scowl as he narrowed his eyes at Morli, who was now copying the grin he had just given her moments ago, but he couldn't come up with a reason for why not to spend time with his new so called "family". He was surprised she hadn't made any protests as he lied through his teeth, but then again, would her brother actually believe her if she told him he was actually a Pokemon? Probably if he actually believed he was their uncle. His only response was a deep, irritated sigh.

"Great then! Let's take this next bus then, I think it's next stop is somewhere close to the stadium..." Chen said as he quickly jumped on the bus that had just stopped.

"Your uncle's kinda weird...what were you two doing before I arrived, anyways?" Chen asked Morli.

"Oh, um, he didn't want me running off..." It was the truth, but she didn't want to give too much information since Mewtwo was sitting right _next_ to her on the bus, and the way he glared at her was intimidating. The saying "if looks could kill" was beginning to have a whole new meaning to her.

"I dunno...do you really think you should live with him?" Chen whispered, "The way he's looking at us...it's really creepy. I'm kinda expecting laser beams to shoot outta his eyes or somethin'..."

"Yup, totally can't hear you two!" Mewtwo said rather loudly, now looking away from them both.

Chen frowned with a bit of shame on his face, then decided to change the subject and actually include him in their conversation. "Hey...are you wearing contacts?"

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow at him. "Eh?"

"I mean, your eyes are purple. It's kinda cool though, but I was just wondering..."

"Uh, yeah, contacts, lets go with that..." Mewtwo turned his head away, gazing off into someplace far away.

"He _is _weird...and pretty anti-social," Chen murmured to Morli, who nodded in agreement.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you how weird he was," she said, then suddenly felt Mewtwo lightly elbow her arm.

"By the way, is your uncle American? He doesn't sound British..."

Before Morli could answer, Chen was up on his feet when the bus stopped at their destination, and while he and several other people boarded off, Mewtwo placed a hand on Morli's shoulder and whispered, "My real identity is kept a secret for a reason, kiddo, so don't go giving it away to your brother."

Morli pulled away from him and held her chin up defiantly. "I'm not going to let you take me away so easily, and don't call me 'kiddo'."

"He probably won't believe you, you know."

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Morli turned her back on him and stepped off the bus, following Chen as they walked several blocks down to the large, dome-shaped stadium that would be hosting the competition. They were just on time, for the event was going to start soon, but getting through the entrance took them nearly half an hour due to hordes of people trying to rush in. Morli tried dragging Chen by the hand as she pushed her way through the crowd, attempting to lose Mewtwo. Several rounds had already passed by the time they arrived in the stadium, and just when Morli found a place to sit, thinking she had finally gotten rid of Mewtwo, he somehow found them out of the hundreds of people. Morli was nearly chewing her nails off, frustrated that she still couldn't freely talk to Chen without Mewtwo being around. Chen didn't pay much attention to Morli anyways as tried to get a legitimate conversation out of Mewtwo while cheering on for his favorite trainer.

"You look angry," Mewtwo commented, looking amused as he watched Morli.

"Ya think?" Morli said, not even bothering to look at him as she watched a Raichu and a Rhydon duke it out on a large screen that hung over the main battlefield, giving a closeup view of the battle for those who sat too far away to see the actual fight. "Say...don't you find this offensive?" she suddenly asked Mewtwo, then tried yelling her question when he didn't seem to hear her over all the excitement.

He seemed somewhat confused by her question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're a Pokemon, aren't you? Do you really like watching people forcing other Pokemon to fight?"

"I've watched animals fight before, it happens all the time with both humans and Pokemon. I would actually prefer watching this instead of the other Legendary idiots, though..." He cringed when he mentioned the other Legendary Pokemon.

"But they're being forced to fight..."

"I'm not much of a treehugger, if that's what you're asking..."

Morli looked away from him again, certainly not expecting that kind of response on the subject from a Pokemon with the mind of a human.

"What are the rules to battling, anyways?" Mewtwo asked moments later.

Morli was taken aback. "You mean you don't know?"

He shrugged and said, "This is the first time I've seen official battles like this. This is illegal in the countries I've lived in."

Morli scratched her head, not such a big fan of organized Pokemon battling but only happened to know about it through her brother. "Well, the rules depend on the type of battle. Sometimes the winner is decided on depending on who collapses first or who is attacked first. There is one sort of battle where the Pokemon fight inside a big circle, and the first on out of the circle loses. Sometimes the trainers are allowed to tell Pokemon what to do with the help of electric spears kinda like tasers, while other times the trainers can't do anything at all. There's lot of different battles and rules; you'd have to be a trainer yourself to know it all."

"Are you thinking about becoming a trainer or something?" Chen asked, suddenly dropping into their conversation with a big grin on his face. "I've thought about becoming a trainer myself, but its hard and dangerous work...and it's even more difficult to actually make a living out of it. Only dedicated champions make a ton of money..."

"It's a good thing you aren't a trainer, Chen!" Morli exclaimed, "Do you know what the chances are of becoming a champion? We would have wasted a lot of money for you to learn how to be a professional trainer, and we would most likely get nothing out of it!"

"I think it would be ironic for _me_ to be a trainer," Mewtwo chuckled.

Chen disregarded Mewtwo's statement and asked Morli, "Say, do you know who got our parents' money? Or did they still not decide yet? I'm running short on cash..."

Morli's spirits were dampened at the reminder of their parents. "I don't know..."

"Man, I wish their car wasn't wrecked, although that's what ended up killing them," Chen sighed, "I could use a car...I probably would've gotten it, too."

"Is that all you care about?!" Morli cried, standing up and giving Chen a icy stare. "Is that the only thing about our parents that means something to you? Their belongings?!?"

Chen just looked at her dumbfounded and shocked, then looked at his feet filled with guilt. "Gee, I-I'm sorry, Morli. I didn't mean to sound like that..."

Mewtwo remained expressionless as he watched the two. Morli's hands shook as she continued to glare at Chen, chocking on her breath as if she was about to break into tears. Her lips began to quiver when she thought over her sudden outburst, then she began to look like the one who was ashamed.

"Are you alright, sis?" Chen asked, looking worried.

"I...I have to go," she said, running the opposite direction and towards the nearest exit out of the stadium.

Morli dabbed her eyes with a tissue, sniffling and sobbing alone in the bathroom. She tried not to look at herself reflection in the mirror, too afraid to see the true torment in her eyes. She blew her nose into the tissue, wishing oh so badly for her tears to stop. She was tired of crying, especially in public; it made her feel weak and pathetic. She couldn't understand why her parents' death was so hard to get over, but she didn't mean to scold Chen about it. He loved them just as much as she did even if they didn't share the same fathers, and she knew that very well. Morli just had to wonder if he also expressed his true emotions in private.

Morli began to pour cold water over her face until the red from her face and eyes had cleared. After wiping away all the water droplets from her skin, she stared at her reflection long and hard until she thought she was suitable to go outside. Before she made any movement to leave the bathroom, she looked over the rest of the mirror curiously when all the reflections began to change into darker colors and create shadows where they shouldn't be. The real objects that were reflected did not match what the mirror showed, and Morli began to feel a bit frightened. Thinking she was just seeing things, she headed for the door, but her hands froze just before she could grab the door handle.

"_By the way, stay away from mirrors..." _she remembered Dialga saying. She stood in place for a moment, wondering if what she saw in the mirror was what he warned her about. Though she was half-tempted to look back into the mirror, Morli decided to take heed of Dialga's words and hastily left.

The halls were empty but not quiet as people in the stadium on the other side of the wall roared in excitement. As Morli walked down the hall, trying to remember which door into the stadium was closest to where Chen sat, she looked dismayed as she saw Mewtwo in his natural form ahead of her. He stood impatiently in front of a vending machine, completely not noticing her until she approached him.

"I thought you were suppose to keep your identity a secret," Morli said, making him jump when he realized her presence.

"Where the hell did you come from? Ah, dammit, you messed me up..." He concentrated on the vending machine, which Morli didn't look at until she heard something fall. Mewtwo pulled out a bottle of soda from the machine with a smug smile. "I love being psychic, it makes life so much easier."

"...You mean you didn't pay for that..."

Mewtwo took a sip from his drink before saying, "'Course not! They overprice drinks."

Morli rolled her eyes. "Whatever...do you really think you should be standing around here like this? Not that I really care, anyways..."

He stared at her dumbfounded, forgetting he was in his Pokemon form for a moment. "Huh? Oh, I don't see any problem with it. Do you see anyone else around? Besides, it's the fact that we can turn human that we want to hide, not our true forms. If that were the case, no one would know Legendaries even existed."

Morli blinked slowly at him, then stared at something far past him. "Then I guess you wouldn't care if those guys over there saw you?"

Mewtwo turned around to see several people wearing green jumpsuits running towards them. They looked like staff members or volunteers that worked in the competition, but Mewtwo only smirked and said, "Let's see how these people react."

Three staff members stopped in front of them, all panting and out of breath. "Anderson! What are you doing here? Your round is about to start!" one of them said.

"Anderson?" Morli repeated the name, crossing her arms and slightly tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Is this the Pokemon you're going to use?" asked another member, "Never seen someone like him before. Okay, put the muzzle on."

"_Muzzle?! _Don't you da..." before Mewtwo could finish his protest, a staff member from behind quickly placed the muzzle over his mouth, though he was unable to secure it before Mewtwo knocked him over with his tail and threw the muzzle on the floor. "Don't _ever _do that!"

"Huh, it talks...Tell your Pokemon to come with us, you're late for your round!" The staff member grabbed Morli by the hand and dragged her away.

"W-Wait, I think you got the wrong person!" She continued to insist that she wasn't a trainer as she was lead to one of the ends of the stadium to the bottom floor, but her words were ignored. Body guards suddenly came by her side as she was lead into a crowd of news reporters and cameramen who tried to take pictures, pushing and jostling to get a close look of her. The body guards then dispersed when she came to two large metal doors, and behind her she could hear Mewtwo shouting and cursing as he followed behind. He came by her side, looking like he was ready to kill as he bared his teeth and growled at anyone who came close. Morli guessed they had to shock him to get him to obey seeing the way he rubbed his arms and sides and the electric spears that some staff members held. "Some Legendary you are," she muttered.

"Alright! You're on in three...two..."

The metal doors swung open, making Morli flinch at the burst of light from the stadium. Both she and Mewtwo were shoved out into the stadium, causing the crowds of people watching to wildly scream and shout at the sight of her.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CHRISTINE ANDERSON HAS FINALLY ENTERED THE FIELD!" boomed the announcer.

The doors behind them slammed closed before Morli could turn and run back in. "This is all a big mistake!"she screamed, pounding on the doors. She stared nervously at all the cameras pointed at her and Mewtwo and then at herself in the screens above, seeing the raw terror in her wide eyes to be in front of so many people. She breathed in and out rapidly, almost hysterically as she paced back and forth. "Oh my God, Oh my God..." she repeated over and over, feeling so lost. "What are we going to do?!?


End file.
